Lawmakers have the opportunity for an early bipartisan win as Congress debates legislation to prevent future releases of the nation’s emergency oil reserves from landing in the hands of Chinese companies.
Legislation to bar such oil sales from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to the foreign adversary sailed through the GOP-led House last week with broad bipartisan support, including 113 House Democrats. The proposal is driven by national security concerns that appeal to both parties.
Senate Democrats say they’re open to the idea as they weigh potential changes to the measure, which comes in the wake of some stockpile releases going to firms in China last year as part of a 180-million-barrel selloff by President Biden to blunt high prices at the pump in the U.